Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars (Vegan!)

These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars are made with protein-rich almond flour and are naturally sweetened with low-glycemic coconut sugar for a healthier Fall treat. They’re totally irresistible!

When it comes to gluten-free and grain-free baking, it’s challenging to make recipes that are egg-free, as well. I wanted this recipe to work well for my vegan readers, so I tried several substitutes using my original Paleo Pumpkin Bar recipe. (If you can eat eggs, that one is a fan favorite!)

The best egg substitute I have found so far when working with almond flour is using a bit of tapioca or arrowroot starch. These options are both grain-free and provide just enough binding to help the bars hold together without eggs.

They won’t rise as much as a bar made with eggs would, but the result is just as delicious! (And ultra-moist.)

It took me seven attempts to get this recipe right, so I don’t recommend making too many substitutions with this recipe without expecting drastically different results.

When you reduce the sugar or use almond meal instead of blanched almond flour, they become a little too moist in the middle. If you omit the coconut oil, the bars become a bit more “sticky” and challenging to slice, and if you add more tapioca or arrowroot starch they become “gummy” in texture. So, experiment at your own risk.

For those of you who need a nut-free option, I’d suggest trying my Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe baked in a square pan for another gluten-free alternative. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, coconut sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.

Add in the pumpkin and coconut oil and stir well until a thick, moist batter is formed. (It will feel crumbly at first, so keep mixing until it's thick and uniform.)

Transfer the batter to the lined pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake until the top feels firm to a light touch, about 35 minutes.

Let the bars cool completely before slicing into them, as they are very fragile when warm. They will firm up when they cool, so you may even want to place them in the fridge to speed up the process. Slice and serve as is, or top them with a dairy-free frosting for a more decadent treat.

Per serving: Calories: 128, Carbohydrates: 11, Protein: 3, Fat: 8

Recipe Notes:

If you use almond meal (ground almonds with skins) the results are a little more moist and mushy, but the bars still taste good! If you want to use coconut flour, try my Coconut Flour Pumpkin bars, and if you want to use buckwheat flour, try my Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe, instead.

I used a granulated sweetener in this recipe to help keep the bars from getting too moist (they are already VERY moist as written!), so I’m not sure that a sweetener like honey or maple syrup would work as a sub. Maybe date paste would work, but I haven’t tested that myself yet.

As always, if you make a modification to this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us know what worked for you, so we can all benefit from your experience.

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned certified nutritionist consultant, trying to make healthy living as easy as possible. I believe in eating delicious whole foods on a regular basis to help naturally support the body’s detox organs— no juice fasting required. (Unless you want to!)If you make one of my healthy recipes, tag @detoxinista on Instagram or Facebook so I can see!

Sheri

We stored them loosely covered at room temperature for 48 hours… and then they were gone. Ha! But, I would have moved them to the fridge for longer than that, because they’re so moist that they could be prone to mold. I think they would freeze well!

Courtney

Karen

These bars turned out great. I did do some modifications and it did not seem to affect the outcome negatively. I did not have a full half cup pumpkin. It was maybe closer to a third, so I added in a bit of finely chopped apple. I also only used a half cup of the coconut sugar. I made the vegan cream cheese frosting and it was quite decadent on the bars. Thanks so much!

Brenda

JEN

These were great! I used tapioca starch instead of arrowroot, vegan butter instead of coconut oil, and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar because these were the things I had on hand. I also used only 1/4 tsp of baking soda and added 1 tsp of baking powder because I wasn’t sure there was enough acid to activate the baking soda. I’ll definitely make these again. Thanks for a lovely start to pumpkin season!

Basil Oilar

Like this recipe! Especially because I bake for persons who MUST eat dairy free and gluten free! Taste tested this recipe with my multigenerational class, they liked them, so im pretty sure that the people with food restrictions will also! …. …. I did change the recipe. Arrowroot starch is pricey where I live, $4.69/lb. I’m baking 6 batches of pumpkin bars. Searched for arrowroot substitutes. Sites indicated the pros and cons of why arrowroot vs. other starches. Learned that acidity is a key factor for this baked dessert. Pumpkin is NOT acidic so the less expensive tapioca flour, $1.29/lb, was viable alternative. Baked very well! FOR SURE MUST COOL COMPLETELY, and need to be VERY careful and gentle when SLOWLY slicing/cutting into squares! They held their shape, but tried to stick to the knife if not cutting slowly! Cut/sliced more cleanly than brownies from a box, and especially than old fashioned brownies from scratch! …. …. Recommend this becomes a regularly prepared dessert, even if don’t have foid restrictions! I know I’ll be baking this often! And will experiment some baking with other fruit too!

Basil Oilar

Ashley

These were delicious! I have made them several times with great success. This last time around I noticed my pumpkin puree was quite dry, so I subbed maple syrup for the coconut sugar to add a bit more moisture. I typically make a vegan buttercream on top and the result is reminiscent of cinnamon rolls:-) For the buttercream I mixed: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup vegan butter, and 1 tablespoon almond milk.

Heidi King

Made this with 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of sugar — plus about 10 drops of Stevia. turned out fantastic! And actually a little on the sweet side for my tastes. Thanks for a great recipe! (Oh, and I used the almond meal.)

Denise

Denise

I just made this recipe and it came out perfectly, not crumbly at all. Cooled quickly (I used a metal pan), and it cuts smoothly and tastes delicious! I also realize the baking soda probably reacts with the possible acidity in the pumpkin puree?